Built 1980 Capacity 45,000 | Surface Grass Opened 1980 | |
Operator Sierra Leone Ministry of Sport Address Freetown, Republic of Sierra Leone Similar State House, Bunce Island, Banana Islands, Estádio 24 de Setembro, Stade Municipal Pointe‑Noire | ||
Freetown National Stadium is a multi-use national stadium of Sierra Leone, located in the capital city of Freetown. It is used mostly for football matches and it also has athletics facilities. It is the largest stadium in Sierra Leone and has a 45,000 capacity. The stadium serves as the exclusive home of the Sierra Leone national football team, known as the Leone Stars. Several professional Sierra Leonean football clubs in the Sierra Leone National Premier League play their home games at the stadium. The stadium is also occasionally used as a venue for social, cultural, political, and religious events.
History
Built in 1980 as Siaka Steven Stadium (named after President Siaka Stevens), the stadium's name was changed in 1992 when a coup was launched by a group of young military officers which established themselves as the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC). In 2008, fans called for the change of the back to Siaka Stevens Stadium, citing a lack of sporting success since the change.
The previous stadium that was there was called Reckrie. Reckrie was completely demolished in the late 70s, and China won a contract to build a stadium originally named National Stadium. It was changed to Siaka Steven Stadium before the official opening in 1980.